Making a presentation? Here are some suggestions sent to me by a
veteran public speaker.
Send comments to Lisa
Make sure that your talk is of a reasonable length. Remember that adrenlin makes you
talk more/longer, not less - so "when in doubt about including slides, leave
them out." Make sure that you are not making more than two main points for
each slide (ie, practice enough to have a firm grasp of points to be
presented and do not digress from these major points). Practice enough so
that the talk is consistently 10 mins. in length. Focus your talk on a few
main points/observations that people will remember; do not attempt to cover
too much ground.
Arrange your talk so that it moves sequentially and does not need any
backing up to previous slides. Practice enough to know what slide is coming
next.
Your talk should have a beginning (objectives), middle (observations) and
end (how observations fit objectives of study). Because of time
constraints, labeled slides like titles, conclusions, acknowledgements etc.
may not be possible to include. Keep it simple: make simple points using
simple graphics. Avoid cluttered graphics with lots of text, complex
legends, etc. Visibility because of the room and large group will be
restricted in the back.
The room will be very full of people therefore its critical that you face
the audience to project your voice so it can reach the back of the room.
Maintain this loud voice throughout the talk (ie, sometimes people will talk
softer as the talk progresses). Do not talk facing the screen because no
one will hear you.
When you begin its best to have a period with the lights on when you make
"eye contact" with the audience to say: The objectives of this talk are to
present...." Maintain that eye contact throughout the talk. Only glance at
screen to remind yourself what is there.
For Powerpoint presentations, make sure that you have your powerpoint
presentation labeled clearly and loaded onto the PC.
Make sure you are confident in running the Powerpoint from the front of
the room - can reverse, view all slides, etc. Questions sometimes require
that you go back to a slide.
There will be a laser pointer; use this only to point to specific
features (ie, do not leave on and wave around). If your hand is shaking,
use both hands to steady it.
Please dress appropriately. (This can help increase your confidence and
speaking ability.
Do not feel shy about asking questions to the other presenters,
participating in discussions, and introducing yourselves to visitors.
